Stellar is a mod manager for Windows and Linux that supports games including Fallout, Oblivion, Skyrim, and Starfield. Formerly known as Starfield Mod Loader.
- Add, re-order, rename, disable and remove your mods and plugins.
- Multiple profiles enable quick switching between different games and mod loadouts.
- Base profiles allows for easily syncing mods between different devices, or VR and non-VR versions of games.
- Root mod support enables management of ENBs, script extenders, and other injectors.
- Custom game support allows Stellar to work with many games.
- Cross-platform: Native clients for Windows and Linux (including Steam Deck).
- Per-profile management of config files, save files, and archive invalidation.
- Support for FOMOD installers.
- Support for Steam, UWP (Game Pass) and other versions of games.
Releases can be found here:
    Stellar releases
Stellar currently has built-in support the following games:
- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
- Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim LE
- Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim SE
- Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
- Fallout 3
- Fallout 4
- Fallout 4 VR
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Starfield
Many other games are supported with custom game support.
To install Stellar, simply download the latest release from the releases page and extract the archive to a folder of your choice.
Note: 7-Zip is required to be installed in order to add mods that use RAR archives.
Quick Links:
- Profiles
- Base profiles
- Mods
- Plugins
- Config file management
- Save file management
- Games
- App settings
- Launching games
- Troubleshooting
Note: This guide refers specifically to Starfield in some places, but most of the information also applies to other games.
To enable mods in Starfield, add the following lines to the StarfieldCustom.ini file in your Documents/My Games/Starfield folder if not already present:
[Archive]
bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
sResourceDataDirsFinal=To add and manage mods you must first create a profile. Upon first launching the app you will be shown a form to create a new profile.
Select which game you want to create the profile for. Then give your profile a unique name.
Select a Game Installation that the profile will use to deploy to. Any detected game installations will be listed automatically. If no installations are detected, or you want to define your own, select the Custom Installation option and define the required paths.
The Game Root Directory is the game's installation directory.
The Game Data Directory is the directory mod files are deployed to. This is usually the Data folder inside the Game Root Directory.
The Game Config Files Directory is the directory where the game's config files are located. For Bethesda games, this is located at <User_Directory>/Documents/My Games/<GameName>.
The Game Saves Directory is the directory where the game's save files are located. For Bethesda games, this is located at <User_Directory>/Documents/My Games/<GameName>/Saves.
The Game Plugin List Path is the location of the plugins.txt file for the game. For Bethesda games, this is located at <User_Directory>/AppData/Local/<GameName>/plugins.txt.
Steam ID is the Steam ID for the game. This is only applicable if you're using a Steam version of the game. This is only required if you plan on enabling Steam Compat Symlinks for Linux.
If the Manage Config/INI Files option is enabled, new config files will be created for the profile. When enabled, you must also define the Game Config Files Directory.
Upon first enabling the option, you will be prompted to copy the existing config files from the Game Config Files Directory to the profile's config files.
NOTE: When activating mods, the profile's config files will be copied to the Game Config Files Directory. If any existing config files are in the Game Config Files Directory when mods are activated, they will be moved to a .sml.bak folder during activation. The files moved to .sml.bak will be restored back to their original location upon deactivating mods.
If the Manage Save Files option is enabled, any created save games while this profile is deployed will be tied only to that profile. When enabled, you must also define the Game Saves Directory.
When Link Mode is enabled, file links to the mod files will be used instead of copying the files when activating mods. This is significantly faster and uses less disk space. This setting is recommended to be enabled when possible.
Link mode can also be separately enabled for config files and save files. To enable/disable link mode for config or save files, click the icon to the left of Game Config Files Directory or Game Saves Directory.
NOTE: Link mode can only be enabled if the profile is located on the same disk/partition as the game itself.
Certain games require a feature called Archive Invalidation to properly load mod files. If this setting is enabled, Stellar will automatically enable archive invalidation to ensure all mods are loaded properly.
NOTE: It is recommended to also enable the "Manage Config/INI Files" option. However if it is disabled, and existing config files can be located, archive invalidation can still be enabled.
You can optionally pick a base profile to inherit from. By default only base profiles from the current game are shown, but you can select any base profile by checkng Show all profiles.
See this section for more information about base profiles.
You can choose to override any of the profile paths to point to other directories. Each profile path override will be explained below.
By default, profiles are stored in the profiles directory where the application is located. Overriding this path will allow you to store the profile at an alternative location. This can be useful if your game is installed on a different drive and you want to co-locate the profile to the same drive as the game to enable Link mode.
A profile with an overridden root path is called an external profile. Existing external profiles can also be added or imported by selecting Profiles -> Add External Profile or Profiles -> Import Profile.
Overriding this path will allow you to store the profile's mods at an alternative location.
Overriding this path will allow you to store the profile's save files at an alternative location. This is useful if you are syncing save files between multiple PCs or profiles.
Overriding this path will allow you to store the profile's config files at an alternative location. This is useful if you are syncing config files between multiple PCs or profiles.
Overriding this path will allow you to store the profile's backup files at an alternative location.
When running a script extender such as SFSE via Steam/Proton, Steam will automatically create a new virtual C drive for it that is different from the virtual C drive used for the game itself. This means that when you go to launch the script extender, your config/INI and save files will not be loaded, and instead new ones will be created on the new virtual C drive.
To avoid having two separate copies of these files, symlinks can be created on the virtual C drive for the script extender that point to the correct directory on the original game's virtual C drive. This allows both virtual C drives to use the same directory for reading config and save files.
Stellar can automate this behavior by enabling Manage Steam Compat Symlinks for the profile.
You will first need to figure out the new virtual C drive directory for the script extender, which will normally be located in ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata. You will see a number of directories in here with numerical IDs. One of these directories corresponds to the game ID that Steam assigned to the script extender. To determine which game ID is the correct one, you can look at the folder's "Date modified" timestamp to figure out which virtual drive directories were created recently. Assuming you added the script extender to Steam recently, the directory should have a Date modified field that matches when it was added to Steam.
Once you have found the custom game ID, enter it as the Custom Steam Game ID for the profile. The necessary symlinks will now be created automatically when the profile is deployed.
Profiles can be locked/unlocked by clicking the "Lock Profile" button at the top of the mod list. When a profile is locked you will not be able to change any settings or edit mods for that profile.
You can create additional profiles at any time by pressing the Create Profile button above the Mod List section or by selecting Profile > Add New Profile from the the menu bar.
Tip: You can change the app theme at any time under File > Preferences.
Base profiles are a special kind of profile that can be extended by other profiles. Mods and plugins in a base profile are added and managed as normal, but cannot directly be deployed. Instead, other profiles can extend a base profile and will automatically inherit mods, plugins, and config files from the base profile.
This allows for defining a common set of mods that can be used and extended by other profiles. One way this can be useful is for easily deploying a common set of mods between multiple PCs while also allowing for adding mods or config settings that may only be used on certain machines, such as high-res texture packs or specific compatability patches only needed for some devices. This can also be used to sync mods between different versions of games, such as Skyrim SE and Skyrim VR.
Game directories are not defined for base profiles, allowing extending profiles to point to different game installation locations as needed.
Once your profile is set up you can begin adding and managing mods. To add a new mod, click the + icon in the Mod List section and select Add Mod, or select Profile > Mods > Add Mod from the menu bar and choose the mod that you want to install.
Note: You can also import existing mods by clicking the + icon in the Mod List section and select Import Mod, or select Profile > Mods > Import Mod from the menu bar. This will allow you to add a mod from a folder, which can be useful for importing mods from other profiles or sources.
Tip: You can also add mods by dragging and dropping them into the app. This will allow you to install multiple mods at a time.
After choosing a mod to add you will be shown either a FOMOD installer, or the default installation options.
The default installation allows you to rename the mod and select which files from the mod to add. By default, all files from the mod will be added. However, some mods may occasionally contain a non-standard directory structure that can require changing the root data dir, like in the following example:
This mod contains a single root directory called standard that contains an inner Data directory with all of the mod files. We need to mark this inner Data directory as the root data dir in order for the mod to be installed correctly:
Now, only the files in standard/Data directory will be added for this mod.
Tip: Multiple directories can be marked as root data dir if needed.
Some games will use multiple directories for mods. In this case, Stellar will attempt to figure out where to install mods if possible, but some mods may be packaged in a way where this is not possible. If Stellar cannot deduce the installation directory, you will need to choose which folder to install the mod to:
Select the installation directory on the left. If no folder is selected, mod will be installed to the top level data directory.
Some mods are packaged with special metadata known as FOMOD that allows for customizing the installation through a guided flow. Stellar supports FOMOD and will automatically show the installation wizard for FOMOD-compatible mods, as shown in the example below:
The installer will guide you through the installation of the mod. Hovering over or selecting an option will show information about what it does. If you wish to install the mod manually instead, you can click the Manual Install button at the bottom left corner of the installer window.
Note: Many mods will ask you if you are using Vortex or Mod Organizer 2. Stellar supports either option, but if you encounter any issues, select Mod Organizer 2.
Tip: Click the preview image (or the ? tooltip in compact view) to show a fullscreen view of the image.
BAIN is another kind of packaging format for mods that allow for customizing installation. Mods that use BAIN will have directories that start with numbered prefixes (00, 10, 20, etc), representing features that can be optionally installed. To choose which features are installed, mark the features you want to install as root data dirs. Only these features will be installed.
Root mods are mods that are deployed to the Game Base Directory instead of the Mod Base Directory. This allows for script extenders, DLSS injectors, ENBs, and other types of injectors to be managed as mods in your profile.
To add a root mod, click the + icon in the Mod List section and select Add Root Mod, or select Profile > Mods > Add Root Mod from the menu bar and chose the mod that you want to install.
Mods you have added will appear in your mods list with the load order of that mod shown to the right of its name. You can modify the load order of a mod by dragging and dropping it in the list. Unchecking a mod will disable it and make it inactive. Mods inherited from a base profile cannot be re-ordered or enabled/disabled.
You can right click individual mods to bring up additional options, such as renaming or deleting.
Tip: You can customize which columns of the mods list are visible under the View > Mod List Columns section of the app menu bar.
You can create section dividers in your mod list to better keep mods organized. To add a new section divider click the + icon and select Add Mod Section or Add Root Mod Section depending on which list you want to add a section to. You can customize the name and icon of each section divider.
You can rename or delete a section divider by right clicking the section and selecting the desired option. All mods in a section can also be enabled or disabled.
Mods can be easily moved between sections or to the top/bottom of a section by right clicking a mod and opening the Section sub-menu.
Existing game files and other files that have been manually copied to the Mod Base Directory outside of your profile will show up in the UI as External files. When activating mods for a profile that overwrite external files, the original external files will be moved to a folder called .sml.bak while mods are activated. The files in the .sml.bak folder will be restored back to their original location upon deactivating mods.
You can see which files are being overwritten by specific mods by enabling mod overwrite calculations. To enable mod overwrite calculations, click the file icon next to the Mod Name header in the mod list. Once enabled, file icons will be displayed next to mods that overwrite files from other mods. Clicking the file icon will show the list of files being overwritten by that mod.
Once at least one mod with a plugin has been installed, you will see your plugins listed along with their load order. Plugins can be individually disabled or re-ordered by dragging and dropping them. Plugins inherited from a base profile cannot be re-ordered or enabled/disabled.
You can right click individual plugins to bring up additional options.
Most games have rules regarding the load order of different types of plugins. For Starfield and other Bethesda games, the order is ESM -> ESL -> ESP. However, mods sometimes contain ESP plugins that are "flagged" as ESM or ESL. While Stellar does not currently parse these flags, you can manually account for this by using plugin type promotion. To promote a plugin to a new type, right-click it and use the "Plugin Type" option to select the new plugin type. Once promoted, the plugin will behave as if it were of the promoted type.
External game plugin management is optional for some games and is required for others. For games where external plugin management is optional, it can be enabled or disabled by pressing the "Manage External Plugins" button at the top left of the plugins list. When enabled, all external game plugin files will be shown in the list and can be re-ordered alongside profile-managed plugins.
You can backup and restore the plugin load order using the buttons at the top right of the plugins list. Selecting the "Create Plugin Backup" option will allow you to create a new plugin order backup. Selecting the "Restore Plugin Backup" option will show a list of all available plugin order backups that can be restored. You can also export the plugin order in a plugins.txt-compatible format using the "Export Plugins List" button.
Note that any plugins in a backup that are not currently in the active plugin list will not be re-added.
If you have enabled the Manage Config/INI Files option for your profile, you will be able to select the "Config" option from the dropdown at the top of the Plugins list. From this section you can edit your profile-specific config/INI files.
If profile-managed config/INI files are disabled, you will see an option in the "Actions" section to view external config files if any are found.
You can backup and restore the current config file values using the buttons at the top right of the Config file management section. Selecting the "Create Config Backup" option will allow you to create a new config file backup. Selecting the "Restore Config Backup" option will show a list of all available config file backups that can be restored.
If you have enabled the Manage Save Files option for your profile, you will be able to select the "Saves" option from the dropdown at the top of the Plugins list. From this section you can manage your profile-specific save files.
To enable mods in the game you must first deploy the profile. Press the Activate Mods button in the Actions section to deploy the current profile.
Mods will now remain active until you press the Deactivate Mods button, even if you close the app or restart your PC.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If Link Mode is not enabled for the profile and you update any of the profile's mod files externally (i.e. in a text editor) while mods are deployed, make sure to press the Refresh Files button after, otherwise your changes will not be applied.
You can backup and restore the mod load order using the "Backup" button at the top of the mod list. Selecting the "Create Mod Order Backup" option will allow you to create a new mod order backup. Selecting the "Restore Mod Order" option will show a list of all available mod order backups that can be restored.
Note that any mods in a backup that are not currently added to the profile will not be re-added.
To open the Game Manager, select File > Manage Games. You can browse the built-in game definitions here, as well as add, import, and export custom game definitions.
If Stellar doesn't have built-in support for a game you want to mod, you can create a custom game definition to add support for it. Existing custom game definitions can also be imported or exported, allowing you to share game definitions with others or submit them for inclusion directly into Stellar.
To import an existing custom game definition, open the Game Manager and then click the gear icon and select "Import Game". Browse for the custom game definition file and select it.
You can now create a new profile using this game definition.
To create a new custom game definition, open the Game Manager and then click the gear icon and select "Add New Game". You will be presented with a form to define the details for the custom game:
The ID for the game. This must be unique.
The title of the game.
The background color for the game. Can be either a hex color or rgb() definition.
The foreground (text) color for the game. Can be either a hex color or rgb() definition.
The default game installation paths for this game. These are typically the default installation folders for the game on supported platforms.
- Game Root Directory - The root installation directory for the game.
- Game Data Directory - The directory where mod data for the game is installed. If this is the same as the Game Root Directory you can simply specify the same path (or ".").
- Game Config Files Directory - (Optional) The directory where config files for the game are located.
- Game Saves Directory - (Optional) The directory where save files for the game are located.
- Game Plugin List Path - (Optional) The location where the plugin list should be saved.
- Steam IDs - (Optional) Any Steam game IDs associated with this installation (if applicable).
Whether or not the game uses multiple subdirectories for mod data.
(Optional) The names of binaries (i.e. the exe of the game). Also include the names of any possible mod loader binaries for the game here.
(Optional) The save file formats for the game.
(Optional) The plugin file formats for the game.
Whether or not external plugin file management is required for this game.
(Optional) The directory where plugin files are located, relative to the Game Data Directory.
(Optional) The type of plugin list for the game, if applicable.
(Optional) Any plugin files that are required to be present for the game.
(Optional) The names of the config files for the game.
(Optional) Any script extenders for the game.
- Name - The name of the script extender.
- Binaries - The names of any binaries associated with the script extender.
- Mod Paths - Any directories that are used by mods associated with this script extender.
For specific examples of these values you can also look at the definitions of the built-in games.
Once you have defined all of the details for the custom game, click the "Save" button to confirm your changes. The button will be disabled if there are any errors in your game definition.
You can now create a new profile using this game definition.
If you would like to share your existing custom game definition, open the Game Manager and then click the gear icon and select "Export Game". Select a file to save your game definition to. The game definition file can be shared and imported by others. You can also submit your game definition file for inclusion directly into Stellar.
Once you have tested your game definition to make sure everything works as expected, feel free to open an issue and submit your exported game definition file for inclusion directly into Stellar. If approved, your game definition will be added as a built-in game in a future release.
App settings can be changed via File > Preferences from the menu bar. The following settings are available:
Some mods may use different casing for their files/folders (i.e. Interface vs interface) and this can cause issues on case-sensitive file systems, which are often used on Linux. When this setting is enabled, Stellar will automatically convert all activated mod files and folders to the correct case to avoid this issue.
It is recommended to enable the Normalize mod file path setting when using Linux with a case-sensitive file system.
Whether or not the active profile should be verified upon starting Stellar. This is recommended to be enabled, but can be disabled if verification takes too long.
Whether or not plugin management is enabled. Only disable this if you do not want plugins to be managed.
The path to Steam's compatdata directory. By default this is located at ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata, but if it is located at a different location you can define it here. See this section for more information.
The app theme to use.
You can either click the Start Game button or simply launch the game directly through Steam, Game Pass, etc. The game should launch with your mods enabled!
Additional actions can be added by clicking the dropdown arrow to the right of the Start Game button and clicking New Action. Set the Name for your action and the Action to perform. Action can be a program or script along with any needed options. You can now select this action by clicking the dropdown arrow.
You can activate and launch a profile directly from the CLI by using the --launch argument. For example, if you want to activate the profile named "My Profile" and launch the game, you can specify the following:
stellar-mod-loader.exe --launch "My Profile"
You can also optionally specify the game action to run:
stellar-mod-loader.exe --launch "My Profile" "Custom Action Name"
This will activate the given profile and invoke the given action (or the currently active action if one isn't specified).
If you get a warning about symlinks not being enabled when creating or editing a profile, you need to enable symlink permissions.
To enable symlinks in Windows, you can either A) enable Windows Developer Mode by going the Windows "Settings" app, select "For developers", and then enable "Developer Mode", or B) run Stellar as administrator (not recommended). Once enabled, Stellar should now be able to use symlinks.
This can happen when very large profiles are activated. If profile verification is taking too long, you can disable verification on app startup via the menu bar under File > Preferences.
This can be fixed by enabling Normalize mod file path for the app. See this section for more information.
This can be fixed by enabling Manage Steam Compat Symlinks for the profile. See this section for more information.
First, make sure you have added the following lines to your StarfieldCustom.ini file:
[Archive]
bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
sResourceDataDirsFinal=If mods still are not working, you may also need to also add these lines to your StarfieldPrefs.ini file.
If you are using the game's installation Data folder as your Mod Base Directory, make sure you delete the Data folder at Documents/My Games/Starfield, otherwise your mods will not be detected by the game. The game will automatically create this folder on game start and when you take in-game screenshots. To change this behavior, you can add the following lines to your StarfieldCustom.ini and StarfieldPrefs.ini files to disable MotD and change your screenshots folder:
[General]
bEnableMessageOfTheDay=0[Display]
sPhotoModeFolder=PhotosIf you run into a problem, please check the issues page to see if your question has been answered, or create a new issue if you have a new bug to report.
If you have a suggestion for a new feature or a new game to support, feel free to open an issue for your request.
To build and run the app for testing and development, ensure you have Node and NPM installed on your machine and run npm install and npm run start.
To build a release, run npm run app:build-release for the current platform or npm run app:build-release:all for all supported platforms.